There is a great deal at stake when Villarreal meet Valencia on Saturday afternoon. Not only is their local pride on the line, the Yellow Submarine and los Che are the sides most intently chasing Barcelona and Real Madrid, making this an important fixture in the race for third place.
Juan Carlos Garrido is well aware of the standards required to match the best the Spanish league has to offer, having seen close at hand last weekend Barca pick apart his talented outfit. Admittedly weaker on the road than they are in front of their home fans, Villarreal were brush aside 3-1, despite Nilmar getting them back on terms during the first half.
“Our aspiration is to become the alternative power to Barca and Real Madrid within the next five years,” hugely ambitious president Fernando Roig boomed to the media this week. “I want people to think of Villarreal when they think of yellow, as they think of Manchester United when they think of the Red Devils.
“We must distinguish ourselves by producing good football, being polite and friendly, and do things right to meet the needs of our customers, who of course are our audience.”
Under Garrido, the home audience should be pleased, having seen 12 wins from 13 matches since the former reserve team coach made the step up. Incidentally, the one game that wasn’t won was a defeat against la Blaugrana.
Villarreal may be a relatively small club historically, but the bar is set high for future success, and Saturday’s fixture may well be an important encounter in determining the outcome of their campaign.
Get On A Run
Unlike Villarreal, Valencia have found the going rather hard in La Primera Division over the course of the last month. Prior to last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Getafe, Unai Emery’s side had failed to win in four attempts, losing three times and dropping off the pace of the league leaders.
A tremendous strike from Tino Costa got los Che moving in the right direction against el Geta before David Navarro added the second with a powerful second half header. Having survived a couple of early scares, the Mestalla club were full value for their victory but were not quite at their flowing best, with midfielder Ever Banega omitted from the squad due to disciplinary reasons.
“The primary objective was to win and at some points there were moments of brilliance, and others not as much,” Joaquin, who hit the post, explained after last weekend’s victory. “There is harmony in the dressing room, and this positive result will hopefully be the start of a winning streak. This will give us morale. We can breathe a bit easier now. Now we have another difficult match against Villarreal next, and we cannot let ourselves relax.”
Emery’s men have rarely found playing away from home simple this season, though they do have three wins from the five road trips they’ve made in La Liga. However, los Che also have a midweek Champions League encounter against Bursaspor to consider. With their place in the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition still not secure, three points are essential in midweek, leaving the coach with a difficult balancing act to perform.
TEAM NEWS
Villarreal
Villarreal have an exceptionally healthy squad at present, with Marcos Senna and Jefferson Montero declared fit for last weekend’s encounter against Barcelona. Coach Juan Carlos Garrido has not noted any injury problems since that may at Camp Nou.
Valencia
Jeremy Mathieu faces a lay-off of two or three weeks due to a muscular problem. Additionally, Jordi Alba, who would generally fill in at left-back, has been suffering from tonsillitis and is doubtful.
Cesar Sanchez is still sidelined, while the participation of Juan Mata and Mehmet Topal is questionable.
David Albelda is missing due to suspension.
Prediction
Villarreal are incredibly strong at home and will expect to prove that again on Saturday. Valencia have struggled to match that kind of consistency on the road, plus the guests will have to have a keen eye on their midweek Champions League fixture, which has the potential to detract from their performance at El Madrigal.
Villarreal 2-1Valencia 
